What would be considered the best application for the new SWFA SS HD 1-6X24 scope? I ordered a new Armalite AR-10 in .338 Federal. I'm a recreational target shooter and likely will not go further than 600 yards.

If you are shooting off the bench you will enjoy having a more powerful scope like the 3-9x42 SS or

the 5-20x50 SS. For bench target shooting and long range shooting like 600 yds the 5-20 would be my pick mainlly because it saves using a spotting scope at 200 where I find my self a lot of the time. The 1-6x24 is a better combat type optic but would make a good all around hunting optic for a guy who hunts brush country where shots may range greatly from up close to several hundred yards away. 6x at 600 yds is like open sights at 100 yds and granted you can shoot open sights at 600 also but if you are taking you time and have a solid rest you will enjoy having the more powerful optic. The big advantage of the 1-6 is that is is quite compact and works very well up close but at 6x truely does have enough power to get a lot of rifles like military M4 out to thier maximum effective range where it would definately not be the tiket for true long range caliber like 300 Win Mag and the .308 really is in between so it can be set up either way depending on how it will be used. I would think that an M4 style of AR10 would be a great fit for the 1-6 where I would probably put the 3-9 or 5-20 on a 20 in barrel AR10.

The 1-6 would be a much more compact package though.

Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd - May/02/2012 at 09:11

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".Bobby Paul DohertyTexas Ranger

I've been considering one of these for a 16" barreled .308 to have a shorter, lighter rig for hunting in dense cover. Shots would never be over 400 yards. But I have to admit that for that scenario the cost is an issue, as is weight. I could get by with a 1-4 in that scenario, which would shave off another 5 oz. or maybe save $400 by going with the SS 3-9. Yet, in the end, you're far better off getting the best optic you can for your purposes. It is more painful to have to replace an optic and take a hit selling the used one.

If your just punching paper for fun and 600 yards is the max range ... the 3-9x42 FFP would be a good choice. I run a USO 1.5-6 on my 16 inch LR-308. I have had various optics on that rifle ... ACOG / 1-4 SS / 1.8-10 USO / SS 3-9 / and settled in the middle with the 1.5-6. But its not a "target" rifle. If all your doing is paper punching a SS fixed 10x in mil/mil might not be a bad option either.

If it helps -- remember that there is a difference in the 1-6 having the capped tactical knobs - that alone is a feature I have not seen offered before, and one of the issues one has with a tactical scope in a rough enviroment is brushing against something that might accidentally turn the knob and throw your sight off.

The flip side of the coin is that a larger front objective lense allows the scope to be at max brightness at a higher power setting. 6x42 is bright as it gets in low light or at night that is a 7mm exit eye pupil. with the 24mm at 6x one is down to a 4mm exit eye pupil so still fairly useable but to get to a 7mm exit eye pupil one would have to dial down to 3.4 power with the 1-6 scope. Still quite useable as most ACOGs are only 3.5x scopes. Also if you can look through a scope that goes below 3x and watch how much wider the field of view becomes even a 2x or 2.5x compared to 3x then look at a scope that covers that 6x to 9x power range and compare what you get on that end. I dont really feel like I give up much going up from a 3-9 to a 5-20 but I notice a huge difference between a 3-9 Accupoint and a 2.5-10 Accupoint and the 1-4 Accupoint that I have has an enormous difference between 1x and 4x. I have a hard time getting excited about a 1-4x scope but by the time you get to 6x you truely can take advantage of tactical knobs and dialing in correction. I was the one who begged for so long for them to add the 6x fixe power to the SS line because 10x in a fixed scope is just too much sometimes in police tactical use which is typically under 100 yds.

Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd - May/02/2012 at 09:35

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".Bobby Paul DohertyTexas Ranger

I will have to agree w/ dillon_h, FFP is the only way to fly on a low power scope. I've been running a NXS 2.5-10x32 SFP on a "tactical hunter" .308 based off a the 700 blue print and have been very happy. I just recently bought the Rem 700 AAC-SD in .300 b/o, mounted the SS 1-6x24; have to say theres a big difference in usability among these two scopes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting rid of my NXS or anything, but for practical purposed the SS is better all around for a practical/tactical rifle. The biggest advantage, for me, is the ability to make off hand/walking shots @ 1x, yet still being able to stick it behind Mr. Ham's ear from a set position while @ 6x. As far as clarity comparison between the two... It's pretty close... i might have to give the edge to NF, but its hard to compare a 32 OBJ to a 24 OBJ. I do like that the SS has turret thread covers for those who don't want to run the caps. I also agree w/ John A that a true 1x should properly function with the non dominant eye.

"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson

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